Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Tourism
Visits to affected East African coastal countries have dropped by almost 6.5% relative to visits to other countries. In the booming tourism sector, spending in East Africa since the surge in pirate activities has grown 25% more slowly than in other sub-Saharan African countries.
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Fisheries
The fishing industry is an economic pillar for many East African countries. It has accounted for over 90% of Seychelles total exports of goods for the past two decades and is responsible for about 20% of Madagascars. Since 2005 more than 100 hijackings have occurred in places where the fishing industry traditionally operates. At least 44 fishing vessels have been hijacked, and some are still captive. Fishing vessels are of particular interest to pirates because they can be used as mother-ships, floating bases from which to launch further attacks. The tuna catch alone has dropped by 26.8% annually in areas affected by pirates. At least 234 fishermen were on fishing vessels that were either sunk or taken captive as of May 2012. The dramatic discrepancy between the revenues pirates enjoy and piracys global cost offers a powerful rationale for the international community to support the administration of the Federal Republic of Somalia. International military operations in 2011 are estimated to have cost at least US$1.27 billion. The use of armed guards has increased significantly in recent years. Currently, an estimated 40% to 50% of the 40,000 vessels crossing the area have them. Large-scale naval law enforcement interventions are believed to have been successful in curbing the number of attacks, they are only effective as long as they are deployeda costly and perhaps unsustainable proposition in the long run. The solution to Somali piracy is first and foremost political. Effective and sustainable interventions over the long term will require shifting focus from the perpetrators to the enablers of piracy. The long term solution to piracy off the Horn of Africa cannot be dissociated from construction of a Somali state that is viable at both central and local levels. The report calls for a negotiated political contract between local stakeholders and the central government. Requires that the enablers have political representation so that (i) their interests can be properly defended, and (ii) they can be held accountable for progress toward eradicating piracy. Ensuring security is a mandate of the central government, but it could involve local communities. The distribution of resources is a critical dimension of Somalias state-building. Guiding Somalia onto a path of economic development free from piracy requires investment in infrastructure and jobs and support for promising sectors. Good governance and public sector capacity-building are the foundation of a Somali strategy to eradicate piracy. International support to the government of the Federal Republic of Somalia could be implemented through three instruments: partnership, knowledge, and finance. Law enforcement interventions and development projects should be designed and implemented around the greater local political community.
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